Nathaniel Lee

Lee, Nathaniel, 1653–92, English dramatist. After failing as an actor, he turned to writing plays. Lee confined himself entirely to tragedy, turning often to the classical historians for the background of his plays. His most famous work, the blank-verse tragedy The Rival Queens (produced in 1677), deals with the jealousy between the wives of Alexander the Great. His plays, which were extremely popular in his time, are marked by bombast and extravagance.